Emperor's Reign, Part One: The Beginning
by T. Drake
Summary: When Link finds himself pulled into an interdimensional plot for multiple domination, will he be able to protect not just Hyrule, but all worlds that exist within the multiverse from the dark plans of the malicious Emperor? Mega Crossover.
1. Prologue

Rated M for violence, language, and drama. >.> Reviews appreciated.

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**Prologue**

Footsteps echoing against the cold, hard cement, his legs carried him swiftly forward through the city of the dead. He had reached the final leg of his long, arduous journey, and now the time had almost come. He had finally returned to this place of death, where he could at last put to rest the pain and anguish of the multiverse.

The dark, violet landscape assaulted his eyes, as it had once so long before. He remembered the last time he had been here, and cursed himself for not ending it then, before so many had suffered. He could have brought it all to a head so long before, if he had only known...but now, as he walked through the cold, dark night, he knew he couldn't afford to waste too long in regret.

His sword clasped firmly in his left hand, with his cold, metal shield strapped to his right arm, the man called Link wondered how much farther he would have to go before he would find the Emperor's tower. He could see it in the distance, standing powerful against the dark, red sky on the horizon, and it was still so far away. It stood like a monument of evil, taunting him, telling him he was weak.

"HUMAN!" He heard the voice screeching through the air to his left, cutting the air like a knife. It was a voice he had heard so many times before, one that had hounded his every move since this journey had first begun. It had hunted him across many worlds, through many realms, seeking only his head for its master. He had fought it, eluded it, but it was stronger than any beast he had known in his home.

Skidding his boots against the cold pavement, the warrior turned to face his hunter. Lowering his sword and angling it towards where the voice had come, while lifting his shield for protection, his eyes watched carefully for the beast he knew lurked in his shadow. He knew this hunter all too well, and knew that if he dropped his guard, he would die. Silence on his lips, sweat beading on his forehead, he waited for the first–

CLACK

Hearing a clatter, he whipped back to the left, thrusting his sword out to his left side and angling the blade forward, while thrusting his shield forward. There was nothing, however, but a stone rolling across the cracked, broken street, cast by his hunter. The distraction had worked, and suddenly Link knew he was dead.

Diving forward, he dodged the initial strike, as a long blade formed of bone tore through the air mere inches above his left shoulder, but the creature was not going to give up so easily. Rolling to a crouch as he hit the ground, he leapt/fell quickly to the right when the beast stabbed down at him, spinning to land on his back and raising his shield to block another impending blow. Hearing the clang as the enemy's blade struck his shield, he thrust his left hand up, only to find that his sword had fallen from his grip during the skirmish.

This was bad. He knew this was bad, but he didn't have time to think. Jamming his left leg into the hunter's right, he managed to bring it down just enough that he could thrust his shield up into its face. This had the effect he was looking for, driving it back just enough that he could scramble to his feet, his eyes racing furiously over the ground looking for his dropped weapon.

There, he saw it, resting on the ground over twenty feet to his left, in the cracked pavement of the dead street. Before him, the beast was shaking off the attack, and had opened its mouth in a vicious snarl. He knew he only had one shot at this, and he knew he had to make it count. Staring into the creature's angry, malicious eyes, he raced towards it with shield out front, knowing that the slightest mistake would be his death.

The creature leapt into the air, rising high above Link as he raced for his sword. Diving for it as the creature came down, he felt himself pinned when its left blade traveled straight through his left leg, trapping him in its grasp. He could see the light blue hilt of his blade just inches away from his fingertips. Reaching his arm, stretching it as far as he could, he strained for the weapon that would mean his salvation.

The beast raised its right blade, ready to strike. Link could feel the cold metal just barely in his grasp, his fingers lightly brushing it, trying to pull it into his grip. Blood oozed from the horrible gash in his leg, where the creature held him pinned, and he knew in only a few seconds he would be dead. His arm strained, struggling with every last ounce of strength towards his last hope, the only chance he had for survival.

It was hard to believe that just three years before, he had thought his days of fighting, his days of war, were over. He could see it flashing in front of his eyes, could see his life up to this point. He found his mind wandering, found himself returning to a point years before. A time of peace, before he had ever heard of the Emperor, before he had ever heard of any of these other worlds. He remembered her face...remembered the horses, the fields...he remembered...


	2. Chapter 1: Field of Dreams

**Chapter One: Field of Dreams**

Strong hooves beat against the soft, green grass just outside the village town Kakariko. Racing through the field with her soft, red hair blowing in the dark, cold wind, a young woman and her horse hurried as fast as the horse's legs would carry them, as night began to fall. She knew better than to be caught in the fields after dark; her father had warned her many times, and she had heard the strange noises that came from outside often in the night, as they scratched at the strong, thick walls surrounding her home.

She knew she shouldn't have stayed so long in the village, but she had wanted to see the new shop they were building. There were rumors that a shooting gallery was being constructed in Kakariko, and she wanted to know if it was true or not. When it came to archery, she didn't really know her way around a bow too well; she did, however, know a certain boy that did.

Time, it seemed, had gotten the best of her. She'd heard he'd be staying in Kakariko tonight, before setting back towards the ranch tomorrow. She had hoped to run into him, and she'd spent the day looking all around the village, but she couldn't find a trace of him. It had been with great reluctance that she'd finally left the village, when the sky had started to dim. She would have stayed longer; she wanted to stay longer, to find him. But she had promised her father that she'd come home with the medicine he'd sent her to buy in the first place.

Her long, white gown whipped against her skin in the cold, evening wind as she rode. She guessed that Link, as the boy's name was, hadn't come down from the mountains yet; that or she was worse at tracking than she thought. It had been four years since he had come to stay at the ranch, often helping her with her morning chores. It had taken a lot of convincing on her father's part, but after two years of wandering around the kingdom, it seemed he had finally allowed himself to have a home.

16 years old now, she was coming into her own rather nicely. When she wasn't mucking out stables or milking the cows, she loved to go riding on her favorite horse, Epona; the same horse she trusted now to carry her swiftly back to the ranch. Often enough, he'd go with, riding one of the stallions they kept in the barn. He would take her to places she was too scared to go to alone; riding through the Lost Woods on the eastern border or down south into the valley where the fearsome Gerudo dwell. Sometimes they'd go to Lake Hylia, on the far south, and she would lay by the shore and listen to him recount stories of his adventures all across the kingdom.

She never really knew what to make of his stories. They seemed so incredible, about fighting monsters and dark wizards, and traveling through time. She would listen to him talk, and for all she knew, he could have been making it up on the spot. But part of her believed him, even if it was crazy. Maybe it was the way he spoke when he talked, the way his voice carried that gentle tinge of reminiscence that sounded as if he really were reciting from memory. Or maybe it was the confidence in his eyes, the strength she saw every time she looked at him. Or maybe...she didn't know. She just knew she trusted him more than she had ever trusted anyone.

She watched him sometimes, when he was out at night. When it was late, and her father was asleep, she'd sneak downstairs and hide by the stables, and she would watch him. When he thought he was alone and no one was watching, he'd go to the back where they usually ran the horses, and he'd just practice. He had a small sword with a wooden handle that he used whenever he was out there, and she would watch him move, watch him dodge and slash, and she believed in him. He moved like nothing she had ever seen before. He moved like one of those knights from the palace, or one of those brave heroes from the faerie tales her father would tell her when she was a little girl. She could tell, watching him, that his movements came with experience, real, harsh experience. And she believed him.

But for all his practice, there was a gentleness to him that she had grown to admire. He could be so noble sometimes, carrying the milk pails for her or comforting her when she was sad. Epona liked him, and that was a rare feat in and of itself. He was the only person aside from herself ever to ride her horse, and she couldn't help but notice how well he knew his way around that horse. He rode Epona even better than SHE did, and it made her smile.

Her father adored the boy, too. He had been the one to invite Link to stay at the ranch with them. He'd actually asked repeatedly over the two years Link had wandered; they could use a spare ranch hand, after all, and he was one of the few friends the family had. Her father had even offered to put together a spare bedroom upstairs, which the girl was ashamed to admit had made her squeal, but he had refused to put them to that trouble. She couldn't understand why he chose to sleep outside, on the grass just outside the barn, with the wooden overhang shielding him from any storms. Maybe he just didn't want to put them out. Or maybe he just wasn't ready for a real bed.

Whatever the case, she couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of sadness to see him sleep out there. Sometimes, when she was younger, she would curl up on the grass next to him, just to see what it was like. She preferred her bed; she still couldn't see what he found so comfortable about the cold, hard ground, but it wasn't too bad when she could hear him breathing softly next to her. Just that thought embarrassed her, though. She tried not to think like that; it made her blush too much.

He was a nature spirit. That was all she could really make of it. The way he knew his way so well around the kingdom, and the way he loved to sleep so close to the grass. The way he seemed to know everything there was to know about the different regions of Hyrule, and how everyone from the royal princess to the freaky rock people in the mountains greeted him with a smile, that was all she could make of it. He was more attuned to nature, to the world as a whole, than anyone she had ever met. Probably more than anyone alive.

Even though he had come to stay, he still left the ranch sometimes. She'd go with him when she could, to see where his travels would take him. From the mountains to the river's end, to the valley of the Gerudo themselves. She had gone with him to visit the Gerudo once, and it was an experience she would never forget. She had heard legends as a child, but she had never seen them close up. They were an entire tribe of women, very protective of their territory and no man could walk freely among them. At least, no man except him. He seemed to be on a first name basis with the head of their entire tribe, which took her for a shock. Even the Gerudo themselves respected him, her hero clad in green.

She wondered how many of those green tunics the boy had. She could picture him so well in her mind, with his green tunic and white vest underneath, and the white pants he wore beneath. She knew him from his dusty brown boots to his wild blond hair, which seemed to defy all attempts to comb it. She knew the bow he carried with a quiver on his back when they traveled, and the blue, metal shield with the intricate golden triangles, a symbol known all across the nation as the legendary Triforce, inscribed on it, with the sheath just behind it to hold his sword. With a boomerang buckled to his belt, he seemed to go out armed for war. She asked him once about it, but all he had told her was, "I like to be prepared for anything." She found that kind of cute; strange though it may be, she never had to be afraid when she followed him around the kingdom.

But now he had gone up into the mountains, to stay for several days. She had wanted to come, but he had told her no, that she was needed back on the ranch and he didn't know how long he'd be. She didn't know why he had gone, and he had left in a rush. He said there was something he needed from the Gorons of Death Mountain, and that it would take quite some time to get.

She'd heard he was coming back this way, and that's why she'd dallied for so long in Kakariko. Now, all she could think about was getting home before the monsters rose, as the sun was already halfway down on the horizon. She was cutting it close, she knew that much, and she was already frightened. She'd never seen the strange creatures that stalked the fields with her own eyes, but she'd heard Link speak of them, and they didn't sound pleasant.

"Faster!" She lightly kicked Epona in the side, spurring her on faster. Kicking up dust in their wake, the horse galloped with all the strength she had to get her rider home. Looking to her right, the girl saw the drawbridge of the royal city beginning to draw itself up. The royal city was protected by a vast moat, which seemed to turn away the creatures. The only way in or out was the drawbridge, which they pulled up at night to prevent the monsters from entering the city. If it was coming up, that meant... "Faster!"

As the sun slipped behind the horizon, she felt fear growing inside her, gnawing at her core. She had never been out this late before, she had to hurry, she–

She heard a sound, a horrible hissing noise that assaulted her ears. Suddenly she was bucked, as Epona backed up on her hind legs, whinnying furiously. She fell from the horse, striking the cold dirt, and terror gripped her heart. Epona raced off, beating her hooves against the ground as the creatures started to rise. "Epona!" she called, but to no avail. The horse had been spooked; she wasn't coming back.

A hand burst upwards from the ground, clawing its way through the dirt. Flesh clung briefly to the skeletal claw as it ripped upwards, pulling something horrifying up through the dirt and grass. Another burst through to her left, followed by another just behind her. More and more started to claw their way up, and she scrambled on her hands and knees to get away from these things. Crawling forward, towards the ranch, she was stopped when another tore upwards just beneath her. Bony, rotten fingers gripping the wrist of her right hand, holding her tight for the others, she started to scream with all the breath she had in her.

With her free hand, she grabbed a rock and slammed it down on the skeletal grip that held her wrist. After three bashes, she managed to loosen its grip enough for her to get up and run. "HELP!" she screamed for anyone who could hear her, as the creatures clawed their way up from the dirt. Looking back, she could see three of them had surfaced midway, the rotten, empty sockets for their eyes gaping at her, and it inspired her to run faster.

More surfaced as she ran, clawing their way up from the ground all around her. They were coming up faster now that the twilight had faded to darkness, and she was starting to have difficulty seeing. She whistled for Epona, hoping to bring her back, but to no avail. The horse was in a blind panic; she knew it wouldn't be coming back for a while.

She tried not to look back, simply ran onwards. She knew the ranch was too far to make, but if the royal city's moat kept these creatures away, perhaps she could find safety in the river that ran past Kakariko. With skeletal demons nipping at her heels, she knew it was her only hope. She couldn't run forever, and she was already starting to tire. Her boots padded against the–

"AAAAAH!" She screamed as she went down, tripped by a skeletal hand which had grabbed at her left ankle. As she struck the dirt, she could feel the bony hands coming up for her, grasping at her legs, her arms, to hold her still as more of the horrible creatures rose up around her. One hand clutched furiously to her right shoulder, a second to her left ankle, they held her trapped, and she knew these things were closing in on her. Screaming, struggling, she pulled away, yanking her left foot out of its boot and leaving it with the skeletons, while tearing away from the other claw as forcefully as she could. She heard the cloth tearing as the claw struggled to keep its grip, she could feel her favorite dress tearing as she moved, but she didn't care. There were more important things now.

Soon she was back on her feet, struggling and stumbling towards the river as best she could. They were all over now, coming up left and right and in front of her, and she didn't know how many had already risen and were stalking her from behind. Her strength was fading, and she knew she couldn't run much longer, when she finally saw the river ahead. She could only pray that it would save her.

Another quiet hiss assaulted her ears, just before she was forced back to the ground. She could feel a powerful weight on her now, pressing her down. Terror gripped her heart as she realized what it was that lay atop her back, forcing her down into the damp, muddy soil. The ripped and tattered remains of her favorite dress now soaked up the mud, and the creature forced her face down against it with one bony, skeletal claw, before its right moved to her arm, scratching lightly down it.

She tried to scream, but the mud gagged her. She opened her mouth and got nothing but muck filling it. She was helpless now, in the grasp of the horrible undead creatures that rose when night fell across the fields. Tears streaked down her face; she was so scared, she just wanted to wake up and have it all be some horrible nightmare. She had never been more frightened in her life, as she felt more of them clawing at her legs, grasping for her arms, for whatever they could get.

FWAP

The weight was lifted from her back, and something small rolled across the field. The pressure off her head, she lifted it from the mire and spat out the chunks of dirt and grass that had wormed their way in, while her eyes traveled quickly to the object that had rolled. The rotten skull back at her, and with her voice box now free, she screamed once more.

The attacking object whisked through the air, smashing through another skeleton's ribcage before arcing backwards in midair. Her eyes caught it as it moved, watching it twirl before a strong hand grasped it and returned it to a small, brown belt on his waist. He moved without fear, with the strength and confidence of a warrior, carving a trail through the skeletons attacking her. She saw the green of his clothes with his movements, and a long, four-foot blade flashing through the air sending chunks of bone flying across the field.

His blade split the one before him, slashing through its spine before he flipped it in his hand and jammed it backwards into the ribcage of one that had tried to come up behind him. More came from the sides, but he caught them each, sending his blade tearing through skulls and spines. They were relentless, eight or nine pressing in on him now from all sides, leaving the girl behind.

She saw them converge, saw him trapped in the center of the mob, and for a moment she was afraid for him. But before they could so much as strike, a flash of steel ripped through with an attack she had only ever seen once before, when she watched him practice. The blade whipped around in a vast circle around the boy, cutting down everything that had made the mistake of getting too close to him.

"Not bad," she heard a dark voice speak from her left. As she turned her head to look, she saw a mysterious man standing in the field, watching the boy fight. The skeletons seemed to ignore him entirely, converging on her rescuer instead. He was covered in a thick, brown robe that concealed most of his features, but the hood was down, and she could see...something of his head. The man seemed to wrap himself up as best he could, as his face was covered by a golden faceplate that ran from his nose down to his chin. A tight, black hood covered most of the rest of his head exposed, but when she looked at the only exposed part of his body, his eyes, they sent a greater terror into her than the beasts had.

His eyes lacked something, something she couldn't quite place. There was just something wrong with them, the way they stared blankly towards the boy in the fight, the way they didn't seem to move even an inch...she couldn't make them out from this distance, but she could feel a chill run through her when he turned his head in her direction, as if he was looking directly into her soul. His cold eyes seemed...she didn't want to scare herself too much, but he looked as if he had the same cold, dead eyes as the beasts that had come after her. And when he spoke, it carried the chill of death in it, as though his words themselves were trying to harm her. "This may prove interesting after all."

"Argh!" She heard her boy grunt in pain, and her head whipped back in his direction. One of the skeletons had taken a bite out of his right shoulder, but that had only grabbed him for a moment before his blade traveled beneath his right arm and into the creature, driving it back. Releasing his grip on the blade, he pivoted on his heel before kicking the hilt with his right boot, driving it further into the creature. Finishing up, he grasped the hilt with his left hand and yanked it upwards, tearing the blade up through the creature's body and ripping apart its skull.

Her attention turned back to the mystery man, but he was gone. She'd only been looking away a couple seconds, but he had vanished entirely from the field. And now she was even more frightened than she had been before. What was going on here?

"Malon?" The boy spoke her name as he walked carefully towards her. Tears still stained her face from the fear she had been through, and she knew she had to look a mess. Mud and guck clung to her face and hair. She was missing one of her boots, and her dress was ripped and torn. With one of the straps torn off entirely and the other hanging loosely by a thread, she had to hold it with her right hand to keep it covering what mattered. "Are you okay?" he asked, and when she turned her hurt, frightened eyes up to him, it was all the answer he needed.

She saw the weapon in his left hand, a four-foot blade with a shimmering golden hilt attached to it. She had never seen this sword before, though she had seen the man a thousand times over. Her hero, Link, from the forest of the Kokiri children had come down from the mountains in the nick of time.

The golden hilt of his sword had a fairly simple handguard, which simply extended in two directions and shrank to point after about six inches. Behind his hand was a small golden ball that rested at the end of the hilt, which seemed to serve to keep his hand from being forced past and off the hilt. It was a fairly simple sword, yet the delicate design and the casting of gold made her mind wonder just where he had acquired it. He certainly hadn't had this sword when he left the ranch.

But her mind could hardly focus on his sword right now. Fear still dominated her heart, and all she wanted now was to go home. Epona had the medicine in her saddlebag, and by now she had probably made it back to the ranch.

Crouching down in front of her, his strong arms delicately took her in, and for a moment she felt as if she could cry in safety in this place. But she knew better, and his voice whispering in her ear told a different story. "Come on," he spoke softly, trying to soothe her, "let's get you home. It's not safe here."


End file.
